Cherubella enters the Pantheon of Rest, and like the rest of the visitors to the place, she lets out a longing sigh as soon as she crosses the threshold. She doesn't sigh for what she finds inside, but for everything she left outside, specifically in her home.
The Pantheon of Rest follows the same decor of fluted pillars and ivory walls, although it features an ambrosia fountain in the center shaped like a music box, from which relaxing music also plays. Instead of furniture, fluffy white sheep wander around.
Only the sheep look happy; the angels, on the other hand, seem frustrated at having to be there. It's all due to an order from Jerahmeel, the administrator of sacred resources. After evaluating the obsessive work ethic of God's creations, he decided to schedule a mandatory one-hour break at least every 25 years—a timeframe the angels managed to fight for, since initially, they were going to be forced to rest once a decade. Absolute madness.
Cherubella sighs again, floats over to the fountain, and uses a pitcher a friend made for her to scoop up some ambrosia. The taste—a union of all the delights in creation—cheers her up a bit, but after choosing a fluffy sheep to sit on and pass the minutes, she starts thinking about all the files she left abandoned at home. Trying to distract herself, she pays attention to the background conversations among the other angels.
"And what do you think of the first commandment?" an angel says.
"Better than the second, but worse than the third," another replies.
"Ah... I agree."
A long silence follows between the two.
Another evil imposed on the break room is that talking about work is forbidden. This is a problem when work is usually the primary motivation for most angels. They tend to frown upon idleness, perhaps because an idle attitude reminds them of their peers who were cast out of heaven in antediluvian times.
Fallen angels. Just thinking about them makes the ambrosia taste sour to Cherubella. She shakes her head to clear her mind and proceeds to pet the head of the sheep she is sitting on. The animal bleats in gratitude for the affection. The animals are very docile; they were brought in and raised by Jerahmeel to streamline his job of navigating through the dream cycles.
Cherubella drinks another sip of ambrosia and looks up at the ceiling. In the background, the angels continue conversing, though they lower their voices a bit to discuss a more delicate topic.
"Wasn't Superior Ramiel supposed to come in today?"
"I heard he was really busy. He found a huge inconsistency in the ledgers."
"Where?"
"Fantasia, I think."
"Fantasia always causes problems. They should just delete it and be done with it."
"It doesn't deserve to be deleted... At least not yet. There's also a suspicion that someone made a mistake, maybe they dropped a soul in the wrong place."
"I doubt it. If there's a mistake, it has to be from one of the guys downstairs. Those demons always play dirty."
The second angel agrees.
Cherubella freezes when she hears that. One of them made a mistake? It's highly unlikely, but her ethics make her think: Fantasia... she recently sent a soul there. What if she was the cause of the inconsistency? She shakes her head, denying the possibility. She trusts her aim. But it's also true that Fantasia tends to be a place with an unpredictable climate for souls, and she hadn't watched until the very end to make sure Jimbo landed in the right spot.
The budding worry turns into a weight in her stomach, as if she had swallowed an ingot. Fearful of a possible mistake, Cherubella gets up from the sheep and sneaks toward the door, not rushing too much because she doesn't want the others to notice she's leaving early. But the girl doesn't manage to cross the threshold; a tall angel with blue hair, a strict gaze, and an elegant suit enters with an abacus under his arm. Cherubella almost crashes into Ramiel's chest, but manages to brake and step back just before the impact.
It seems like Ramiel frowns upon seeing her, but in reality, he keeps his brow furrowed most of the time anyway. Cherubella, despite knowing this, still goes as stiff as a board.
"Novice Cherubella, I see you still only have two wings." It is hard to tell if it's a casual comment or a critique.
"Huh? Y-Yes. Maybe... Maybe I haven't pushed myself hard enough, Superior Ramiel."
"Do not despair. Blessings await those who act with patience."
Ramiel prepares to continue on his way, but Cherubella quickly steps in his path again, unable to keep the question in. Barely controlling her stutter, the lesser angel asks about Fantasia.
"We are in the Pantheon of Rest, Novice Cherubella. We cannot talk about work."
"Please. I won't be able to rest properly if I don't clear my doubts first. Look at my wings, they are very, very tense."
"Hmm... You resting poorly would be problematic. Jerahmeel would be displeased and make a scene out of it. I will only tell you not to worry, everything is in order."
"Huh...?" Cherubella blinks repeatedly. "So there was no mistake in the ledgers?"
"There was... But it sorted itself out."
Something very strange happens: Ramiel cracks a smile, a small, barely perceptible movement at the corner of his lips.
"Destiny is carved in stone, just as God's creation is perfect. Faced with an imbalance, the universe mobilizes to level the scales. Sometimes—the most satisfying occasions, I would say—I don't even have to lift a finger."
Cherubella places a hand on her chest and sighs in relief. Ramiel ignores the girl's gesture, walks over, and sits on one of the available sheep. He remains there, back straight, in total silence, giving the world a distant stare for a whole hour.
After the break, Cherubella returns home, and although she takes Ramiel's words as gospel, she still looks through the peephole of the cannon to make sure Jimbo is in the right place. She zooms in on the mountain cabin and finds a mother breastfeeding her baby. The baby has eager and curious eyes, looking quite sharp. Cherubella isn't surprised; Jimbo, despite his indifference and sedentary lifestyle, had a good head on his shoulders. Maybe, in the end, he actually will achieve his wish of becoming a hero.
The angel smiles and steps away from the cannon.
All is right.